Inventory of Intangible Heritage

Elements of the myriad forms of Intangible Cultural Heritage in George Town The intangible, or living, heritage of George Town is not only a vital contributing factor to the significance of the World Heritage Site, but it is also what gives the city a richness and vitality that is increasingly hard to find. Funded by the Penang State Government, this Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is one of the first steps required to plan measures for the safeguarding of ICH and to ensure its continued sustainability for future generations.

The Inventory project serves to identify and document what constitutes ICH in the particular context of the Historic City of George Town. Beginning in 2012 with a focus on traditional performing arts and artisan skills, and traditional crafts and trades, the project comprised of door-to-door surveys of over 5000 premises in George Town, and was followed with a sample 20 case studies for more in-depth documentation and the preliminary identification of threats to their sustainability.